Hello! I’m Isabella Foley, a Secondary Education student at Kelvin Grove, a member of Socialist Alternative, and your 2023 Environment Officer.
Every day, more and more young people grow angry when profits are put before the planet. As the climate crisis looms closer, students should be angry and demand action.
But our leaders set greenwashing targets every year, which they fail to meet, then pat each other’s backs for their climate action – more like inaction! Climate criminals like Gina Reinhart make billions of dollars off the destruction of the planet. Bushfires and floods have gone from once-in-a-lifetime events to once every year!
The main challenge for the Environment Officer position today is battling the idea of helplessness. Often the climate crisis can make people feel ground down and hopeless, like the damage is already done and there’s no way out. But I think if we believe that, then the rich and powerful win! They get another free pass at making profit off the destruction of the planet.
I want to help coordinate, participate, and encourage others to take action and fight for the planet, which means taking to the streets against the government and billionaires. In my position, I look forward to promoting climate rallies in Brisbane, as well as talking with students about climate action. Protesting for climate action not only makes our demands clear, but also puts pressure on governments to do more than set targets while sitting back and relaxing.
As Environment Officer, I hope to also organise against all questions of injustice. Fighting for the planet means demanding human needs are put before profit. We should challenge racism by demanding indigenous land rights, oppose the environmental and social costs of war, and demand every dollar the government sends subsidising destructive companies be diverted to health and education!
I look forward to meeting new students as well as building an environment movement both on and off campus in the year to come. Contact me on environment@qutguild.com
